EP 241: Fundamentals S2 Part 4
September 30, 2024
Photo by Elli Doran
Fundamentals Season 2 (Part 4 of 6) — Everybody wants stronger fingers. In this episode, Jesse and I share our top tips and pitfalls when it comes to building functional finger strength for climbing. We cover our favorite finger training methods, key principles to follow, how to apply your strength to the rock, how to avoid finger injuries, the power of consistency, and much more.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Check out more Fundamentals episodes!
Jesse’s Other Episodes:
EP 127: Jesse Firestone (Jul 18, 2022)
EP 191: Jesse Firestone Returns (Oct 23, 2024)
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frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug
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Tension Climbing:
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Show Notes:
Jesse’s Tips and Pitfalls:
Tip #1: You probably don’t need much finger training
Tip #2: Understand the adaptations from different styles of training
Tip #3: Practice grips on the wall
Bonus Tip: N=1
Pitfall #1: Training too heavy
Pitfall #2: Doing your finger training when you’re tired
Pitfall #3: Too much “perfect” edge training
Steven’s Tips and Pitfalls:
Tip #1: Do something simple enough that you can be consistent with it, and do it for a very long time
Tip #2: Use big edges to get strong and use small edges to apply that strength to the rock
Tip #3: Own the hold
Tip #4: Train a variety of grip types
Bonus Tip: The Ladder Program
Pitfall #1: Not considering how you climb when you train your fingers (i.e. Your finger training should be specific to you)
Pitfall #2: Switching protocols too often
Pitfall #3: Stressing out about which protocol is “the best”
Related Podcast Episodes:
The NUG:
frictitiousclimbing.com/products/the-nug
Unlevel Edges:
The Ladder Program:
Jesse’s Links:
Nuggets:
00:00:00 – The NUG
00:01:19 – Two things that have improved Jesse’s finger strength
00:04:12 – Using climbing to gain finger strength
00:07:53 – Overview
00:09:05 – Steven’s Tip #1: Do something simple enough that you can be consistent with it, and do it for a very long time
00:11:02 – Examples of simple consistency
00:13:48 – Climbing on a board
00:18:14 – Jesse’s Tip #1: You probably don’t need much finger training
00:19:37 – Maintaining finger strength on a trip
00:21:50 – Steven’s Tip #2: Use big edges to get strong and use small edges to apply that strength to the rock
00:31:28 – Jesse’s Tip #2: Understand the adaptations from different styles of training
00:37:41 – Owning the hold
00:38:43 – Finger curls/active flexion
00:42:53 – Building forearm capacity and endurance
00:44:08 – Rate of force development
00:46:12 – Wall crawls/crimp crawls/low gear
00:48:33 – Steven’s Tip #3: Own the hold
00:53:32 – RPE and 10-second hangs
00:56:32 – Jesse’s Tip #3: Practice grips on the wall
01:01:28 – Steven’s Tip #4: Train a variety of grip types
01:11:54 – Bonus Tip: The Ladder Program
01:14:56 – Jesse’s Pitfall #1: Training too heavy
01:17:20 – Genetric freaks and the 200 lb goal
01:18:25 – Steven’s Pitfall #1: Not considering how you climb when you train your fingers (i.e. Your finger training should be specific to you)
01:22:26 – Jesse’s Pitfall #2: Doing your finger training when you’re tired
01:24:38 – Watching Tyler Nelson one-arm hang a 15mm edge when tired
01:27:53 – Rate of Force test
01:29:28 – Steven’s Pitfall #2: Switching protocols too often
01:30:30 – Jesse’s Pitfall #3: Too much “perfect” edge training
01:34:44 – Steven’s Pitfall #3: Stressing out about which protocol is “the best”
01:36:30 – “It takes years”
01:38:18 – Bonus Tip: N=1
01:39:55 – Wrap up